Stage Whispers

Careful what you wish for

Free wishes? What could go wrong?

Caroline Graham

We’ve all played the three wishes game. (My three would be fame, fortune and unlimited Chipotle anytime I snapped my fingers.) But as the Halloween season approaches, UNM’s Experimental Theatre (Center for the Arts, UNM campus) brings us a less rosy reimagining of the classic scenario. There’s no friendly manic genie voiced by Robin Williams this time. Instead, there’s a disembodied monkey’s paw with an ominous curse, and instead of everything working out splendidly, it ... well, no spoilers.

The Monkey’s Paw is an adaptation of the iconic short story from 1902 and will be Caedmon Holland’s directorial debut. Running a trim 45 minutes, this supernatural tale plays Oct. 24, 25, 30, 31 and Nov. 1 at 7:30 and 9pm and Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 at 2 and 3:30pm. It’s a combination of gothic horror and thought experiment sure to kickstart your Hallows’ Eve.

Tickets are $10 general admission, $7 seniors, students and UNM staff. Buy them now: 925-5858, unmtickets.com, or pick them up at the ticket offices in the UNM Bookstore or the Arena. (Randyn Charles Bartholomew)

Wedding crash

First, breakfast. Then, the sexual awakening.

Courtesy Adobe Theater

There are coming-of-age stories, and then there’s The Member of the Wedding. The 1946 Southern Gothic masterpiece penned by literary titan Carson McCullers defies any attempt to pigeonhole it as such, despite the fact that the story follows several days in the life of scrappy tween tomboy Frankie Addams as she struggles with small-town blues and a nagging urge to see the wider world. Rich with themes of sexual and racial identity, the play remains relevant today, what with same-sex marriage and racial profiling by police being national hot-button issues. McCullers adapted the novella for stage in 1950, and it had a hugely successful run on Broadway. Catch the Adobe Theater’s (9813 Fourth Street NW) production helmed by Burque’s own James Cady, who has some serious directorial notches in his belt from plays by Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller, as well as his own interpretation of Hamlet. This show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2pm, from Oct. 24 to Nov. 16. Strapped for cash? Catch the pay-what-you-will performance on Thursday, Nov. 6. Otherwise, shows are $15 ($13 for seniors and students). More info can be gleaned and reservations made at adobetheater.org or 898-9222. (Ian Wolff)